Jesse Scheckner
Democratic Miami Commissioner Sabina Covo will be far from the first GOP presidential debate, but her constituents watching the televised event will still see her.
Covo’s re-election campaign is taking out an ad during the two-hour debate airing on Fox News Wednesday night.
The 30-second spot, viewable below, will focus on work she’s done during her short time in office, from tackling roadway infrastructure issues and addressing flooding to investing in housing and improving government transparency.
“I am a working mom with a proven record of advocating for safer neighborhoods, taking on irresponsible overdevelopment, and amplifying residents’ voices in City Hall,” she said in a statement.
“I’m running for re-election because I want to make sure our kids grow up and live in a city that is affordable, safe and built for the future. Together, we can create that future, while also delivering results for our families today — because that’s what Miami residents deserve.”
Covo won a Special Election in late February to secure an eight-month stint representing District 2 on the Miami City Commission. She is the first woman to represent the district — which spans most of the city’s coast and includes the Brickell, Coconut Grove, downtown Miami, Edgewater and Morningside neighborhoods — since the city implemented single-member districts.
The city held the Special Election to determine who would serve the remainder of former Commissioner Ken Russell’s term. Russell vacated his seat in early January following an unsuccessful bid for Congress just days before he would have been forced to leave office in accordance with Florida’s resign-to-run law. A motion to replace him by appointment failed shortly after.
Covo beat 12 other candidates for the job. On Nov. 7, voters will choose between her and five challengers in the technically nonpartisan contest: real estate agent Gabriela Ariana Chirinos, lawyer and Bayshore Place Condo Association President Eddy Leal, banker and community activist Damián Pardo, marketing consultant and former Casa Wynwood creative director Christi Tasker, and telecommunications manager and Downtown Neighbors Alliance President James Torres.
Covo entered politics following a successful career in media and public relations, including work as a journalist for news organizations like Telemundo, Spanish Broadcasting System and the Miami Herald, and a one-year stint as director of media relations for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services under former Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who now chairs the Florida Democratic Party.
She now owns and operates an eponymous public relations firm in Miami specializing in real estate, business, economics and public analysis.
Covo’s campaign team includes Democratic consultant Christian Ulvert, whose clients this year includes former Miami Beach Rep. Mike Grieco.
Grieco, who is running for Miami Beach Mayor, has also taken out 30 seconds of ad space during Wednesday’s debate.
